Can We Speak About Book Proposals?

By W. Terry Whalin

Many writers don't know a key fact about
publishing. Editors and agents don't read
manuscripts. They read book proposals.

Tuesday, February 22nd at 7 p.m. EST
/ 4 p.m. Pacific (starts promptly according to
www.Time.gov), I'm hosting a 70-minute
teleseminar. I want you to sign up and ask me any
question about proposal creation and proposal
marketing at:

http://askaboutproposals.com

Wait--there is more. I've created a special free
Ebook for everyone who signs up at the
teleseminar: ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION?
5 STRATEGIES THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
You can get this 19-page Ebook packed with content

when you sign up at:

http://askaboutproposals.com

During the teleseminar, I'm introducing a new
training course called Write A Book Proposal
(http://WriteABookProposal.com). I encourage
everyone to ask a proposal question at:

http://askaboutproposals.com

If you can't make the time of the call, please
go ahead and sign up anyway. The entire
teleseminar will be recorded and EVERYONE
who signs up will receive an email with the replay
link. Also if you sign up, you will be able to
download the FREE special report right away.
This report is loaded with valuable advice.

I look forward to speaking with you on Tuesday.

Be Active on Twitter & Automate It

By W. Terry Whalin

When I meet with writers at a conference or on the
phone, they will often tell me, "No one knows me
or my writing." Maybe they have written a few
magazine articles but never published a book. Or
maybe they haven't published anything but want to
get published. Other people have written for
magazines or newspapers but never written a book
(nonfiction or fiction).

First a reminder: I know of no overnight
successes in the publishing business. If you have
someone who appears to become an overnight
success, then look closer at the journey of that
person. I've often found they have been in the
trenches for years before they achieved their dream
of success.

OK, with this reality check, now what can you do
to begin building your visibility in the community?
There is not a singular answer to this question.

There are many answers.

One answer is to become active on Twitter. According to
Twitter's site, as of September 14,
2010, there are 175 million users who tweet 95
million times a day. Those numbers are right--a
million. What are you waiting for? Let's get
started.

1. Who is your target audience? Who do you want to
reach and with what message? It is important from
the beginning to select one or two "themes"
to your tweets because this consistency will
attract your audience and help you.

4. Use a free tool like Hootsuite to send out your
tweets and also to schedule them.

5. Locate Twitter Leaders in your area at Twellow. Follow those leaders
and learn from their tweets.

6. Use a tool like TweetAdder to automate your
twitter process of gaining followers. It is
excellent and adding about 100 to 150 followers a
day to my Twitter account. You can get 15% off TweetAdder by using code
NICHE15.

If you don't like to tweet, then automate your
content on Twitter using Google Alerts. Select
several key words and pull in content to your
twitter account. Follow these ten steps:

1. Do you have a Gmail account? If not create
one. While you are signed on to that Gmail
account…

2. Go to Google Alerts

3. Select several phrases that you want to turn on
alerts

4. Leave the Type as "comprehensive" or from
anywhere on the web

5. Change How Often to "as-it-happens" because
you want it throughout the day and fresh

6. Change Deliver to: and select "feed."

7. When you save it, you will see the feed in
Google. Notice the orange icon or the word "feed."
Right click on that and copy out the feed URL
because you will need it for the next step.

8. Go to Twitterfeed and log on to this
free application using your twitter username and
password.

9. After you log on to Twitterfeed, you are
creating a new Feed. Give your feed a title and
paste the RSS feed URL from Google alerts into
the feed spot.

10. Click the Advanced Settings. Change "Update
Frequency" to every 30 minutes and post up to "3"
new updates at a time.

This ten step system will automatically pull
content into your twitter account. I have this
system set up for some twitter accounts that I do
not monitor as closely as I do for my main twitter account. It is
critical to provide content, point to articles, give
free resources and not to engage in hard selling
(buy me, buy me). It’s a soft sell approach that
works on Twitter. With millions of people on Twitter
and using some (or all) of these techniques, every
writer can increase their presence and activity on
Twitter.

12 Things Authors do to Sabotage Their Success

By Penny Sansevieri

Writing, publishing, promoting, publicizing. It
all seems quite daunting, doesn't it? Well, it
doesn't have to be. First you need to start out by
doing the right things and knowing what can help,
or harm, your success. Keep in mind that while
there is always a creative element, publishing is a
business. It's important to know your business to
be successful. Here are a dozen ideas that I hope
will help you on your journey from writer to successful
author.

1. Waiting too long to market. When it
comes to marketing, some authors wait too long to
get the word out there. If you're sitting on top
of your publication date wondering where to start
with your marketing, you're about six months
behind the curve. Book marketing is what I call
the long runway of promotion. A great campaign
will consist not only of a focused marketing plan,
but a plan that starts early enough to support the
ramp up that a good book marketing campaign
needs. And this isn't just for the self-published
market, any book that's being released these days
needs a minimum of a six-month ramp up. This
doesn't mean that you are marketing during that time,
but ideally you are getting ready for your launch by
having a website designed, starting a newsletter,
building your mailing list, building your media
list, planning your events, etc.

2. Not having enough money. I see it all
the time; authors spend all their money on the
book process (book cover, editing, etc.) and then
don't have enough for the marketing. That's like
opening up a store and not having money to stock
it with inventory. Before you jump headlong into
publishing a book, make sure you have the funds to
do so. So, how much is enough? It depends on what
you want to accomplish. Be clear on your
goals and market, then sit down with someone who
can help you determine a budget.

3. Not getting to know others in their
market. Who else is writing about your topic?
If you're not sure, then you should do your
research. Getting to know your fellow genre authors
is not only important, but it can really help you with
your marketing. How? Because most readers don't
just buy one self-help book, or one dating book, they
will generally buy in multiples. So getting to
know others within your market can not only help
you market your book, but it could also help you
connect with fellow authors, and there is truth to
the fact that there is power in numbers.

4. Ignoring social media. While social
media may seem confusing to most of us, it's
important to know that it can sometimes be a make
or break situation when it comes to marketing your
book. If you can't make heads or tails out of
Twitter vs. Facebook, then hire someone who can
help you or guide you through your choices.

5. Thinking bookstores don't matter. While
it's nice to think that most of us do our shopping
online and via Amazon, bookstores (especially
local stores) can really help or hurt your
marketing efforts. If your book isn't going into
bookstores, then you'll want to get to know your
local area stores to see if you can present your book
to them for consideration and/or do an event in their
store. Having a local presence in bookstores is
important, especially if you are doing local
events and local media. If the bookstore won't
stock the book (and many of them won't if you're a
first time author), then make sure at the very least
that your book can be ordered. You don't want
people walking into your neighborhood store and
being told "Sorry, we can't get that book."

6. Printing too many copies. In order to
get large printing discounts, authors will often
print huge numbers of their books. I've seen
ranges from 10,000 on up. Generally I recommend
a run of no more than 2,000. You can always go
back to print and likely when you do, you'll want to
make changes to the book, possibly adding new
testimonials, endorsements, and reviews. Also, you
have better things to do with your marketing
dollars than spend them on storage space.

7. Not spending enough time researching their
market. If you were going to open up a store
in a mall, let's say a yogurt shop, would you ever
consider opening a store without doing the proper
research? Probably not. Yet every day authors
publish books and haven't done market research.
This research, while it can be tedious, could save
you hundreds of dollars in promotion and/or cover
design.

8. Not hiring a professional to do their book
cover. In tight financial times, it's ok to
cut corners in marketing or find less expensive
ways to do things. But one corner you shouldn't cut
is on your book cover. Your cover is important
because it's the first impression your audience has
of your book. Don't shortcut your success by creating
a cover that doesn't sell. In the long run, the money
you save on the cover design could cost you four
times that in book sales.

9. Not having their work professionally
edited. Your book is your resume; not only
that but it's your reader's experience as well.
What kind of experience do you want to give them?
If the answer is a great one (and it likely is) make sure
the work you do on your book mirrors that. Your
work should always be professionally edited, no
excuse. If you don't have enough money to do this,
then ask yourself if publishing this book is really a
good idea. Perhaps waiting until you have the funds
to get the book released the right way is a
better idea.

10. Expecting immediate book sales. Nothing
happens immediately, especially book sales. The
sales process for books can be lengthy, especially
when you're dealing with multiple reporting agencies.
Most authors don't know that places like Amazon,
Baker & Taylor, and Ingram don't all pay on the same
timeframe. They all have particular cycles to how they pay.
For example, Amazon might pay 90 days after the sale,
whereas some folks I've talked to say that Baker & Taylor
sometimes lags five months behind. What this means
is that if you are pushing your book in December
and hope to see the fruits of your labor in
January, that timeline isn't realistic. Don't end
up disappointed if your royalty statements aren't
reflecting the promotion you've done. It could be
that the agencies just haven't caught up with your
sales.

11. Not having a website. Someone once
asked me if all authors should have a website, to
which I responded: does your book need a book
cover? Every author should have a website. It
doesn't have to be fancy, lengthy, or expensive,
but it's a 24/7 sales tool and the only way to
build credibility online.

12. Giving up on their book too soon. Like
anything, book marketing takes time. I see authors
all the time who start to grow impatient after a
few months, wondering where their success is. How
long will it take? That depends. But you might not
be the best person to determine that. If you've
been marketing your book for a while and can't
figure out why nothing has taken off, spend an
hour with a professional who can tell you if
you're on the right track. Do this before you decide
to throw in the towel. You might be inches away
from success; don't give up before you do your
research.

Making headway in marketing is as much about the
good decisions, as it is avoiding the bad. Good
luck in your publishing journey!

Reprinted from “The Book Marketing Expert
newsletter,” a free ezine offering book
promotion and publicity tips and techniques.
http://www.amarketingexpert.com

Why It's Called The Slush Pile

By W. Terry Whalin

Every writers pitch their ideas to literary agents
and publishers. I've listened to many of these
pitches personally at writers conferences and I've
received stacks of these submissions as an editor
and agent.

In a matter of seconds, I can tell if something is
going to be worth reading and considering. Yes,
seconds. Millions of submissions are in circulation
at different offices. The editors and agents are
actively looking because it is their business to
find fresh talent and publish authors.

I've received many unusual submissions. The number
and variety of these submissions grew that I
started a file in my desk and labeled it, Strange
But True. Recently another one landed in my mail box.
Just to be clear, I've not worked for Howard
Books for five years Yet a handwritten letter was
addressed:

It came to my personal address yet it was
addressed to the "committee." OK. I opened it and
thankfully it has an SASE (self-addressed stamped
envelope). After I post this message, I'm going
to print this entry and mail it to the author
with the hopes it will help her see the necessity
to have a much better presentation with her pitch.

The letter (typed) and dated February 15, 2011.

First paragraph: "If you could hold in your hands,
this moment, the most urgent, significant,
consequential revelations of the century, a
manuscript so meaningful as to rival the Holy
Bible of old, a manuscript containing the most
sacred and controversial heavenly truths ever
bestowed on the eath (she meant earth); would
you publish it?"

OK, this paragraph is engaging yet full of
hyperbole (exaggeration). It is in many respects
over the top in terms of exaggeration.

Second paragraph: "This manuscript exists. _______
is about 900 pages of the most sacred words of
the holy angels of God. This is a powerful,
dynamic manuscript from a heavenly perspective,
not a mortal imagination. These are deep,
thought-provoking, intelligent, inspirational
words which will invoke an indelible emotion
in the reader. Some will tremble in the soul. Eyes
will fill with tears as they recognize these are actual
truths of angel's wisdom. This is not another "angel
book."

A typical nonfiction book (which this claims to
be) is 40 to 80,000 words. The world of books
and magazine looks for the word count--not the
page count. Estimating 200 words a page, this
manuscript is 180,000 words or over 700 pages of
a typeset book. That fact alone is enough to get
this instantly rejected. The author has no concept of
the challenges of book production or the difficulties
that such a large book will mean to any publisher--much
less thinking about the contents. I'm speaking only of the
word count. It is way beyond the normal range.

While these changes are mostly cosmetic (the lack
of a personal name address and the lengthy
manuscript), let's address a core issue with
submissions. You have to send your pitch to the
right agent or editor. It has to be someone who
identifies with the topic. Howard Books is a
"Christian" part of Simon and Schuster. While
there is broad definition for the word Christian,
as a minimum, the editors hold to the basic
Christian doctrines. For example, what do the editors
believe about the Bible? I would expect their view
to agree with what Billy Graham writes on his website, "But
the Bible isn't just another human book.

The Bible claims to be something far greater than
this: It claims to be the Word of God. In other
words, it says that behind its human authors was
another author: God Himself. The Bible says, "For
prophecy never had its origin in the will of man,
but men spoke from God as they were carried
along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). If this
is true (and as a Christian I believe it is),
then it means we aren't free to pick and choose
what parts of the Bible we will believe. The whole Bible is
God's Word, and the whole Bible teaches us God's
truth. The Bible says, "As for God, his way is
perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless" (2
Samuel 22:31)."

This submission includes a page of quotations to
entice the editor to request a partial or full
manuscript submission. Here's one of the
quotations, "About hell: "This is not for you or
others. Do not be afraid because you think yourself
not good enough to enter heaven. Even the most sinful
of souls have a place in God's plan. A place will be
waiting for all souls, where each will find
happiness."

Really? You can follow this link to see what Billy Graham writes
about hell but it is a real place. Bottom-line
this author has no idea how to approach an editor
with the book idea nor how to send this idea for
proper consideration.

As I have written here before, you only have one
chance to make a good first impression. Tuesday,
I'll be answering your questions about book
proposals in a free teleseminar. I hope
you can attend and will ask a question and
pick up my free Ebook.

Also this teleseminar will be the launching my Write A Book Proposal training
program. In 12-weeks, I teach step-by-step how
to craft a book proposal and sample chapter which
will gather the right sort of interest.

Every writer needs to learn all they can to make
the best possible impression on the agent or
editor. They are searching for a champion who will
move their idea through the publishing process and
they will ultimately get their book published and
into the marketplace. As for this "submission" to
the Manuscript Review Committee, it will only land in
my "Strange But True" Manila folder.

To Get In Print, Hit & 'em Where They Ain't!

By Laura Backes, Children's Book Insider

Baseball great Willie Keeler had a simple explanation for his batting prowess: "I hit 'em where they ain't". If you yearn to see your name in print, you might follow Willie's example. Why not "hit 'em where they ain't" by going where there's less competition?

One excellent -- and underserved -- field is writing nonfiction magazine articles. Nonfiction can be profitable because you can use the same research on several pieces. Find a topic you love, gather your information, and then craft several articles for different markets. Remember that children are most interested in the "how" and "why" of a subject, especially if you present it in a humorous or unique way.

Longer how-to articles. These differ from straight activities because they require more of an introduction than, "Have you ever wanted to make paper dolls? Here's how!" Many magazines have theme lists for each issue, and want activities that also present information related to the theme. That same paper doll activity might be prefaced by several paragraphs on the history of paper dolls in the U.S., or focus on paper dolls manufactured during a particular decade. The
"how-to" element would follow, with clear, step-by-step instructions children can complete on their own, or with minimal adult supervision. How-to articles for older readers might involve self-help topics, or tips for improving relationships, getting organized, or landing a summer job. Break these more abstract topics into several steps and use catchy subheads to keep the article entertaining.

Interviews and profiles. You don't have to look far to find subjects to profile for magazines. Many publications want articles about kids doing interesting or unusual things. Research potential markets before finding your subjects, as each magazine's audience and focus differs. Interviews with adults in your community who have unusual jobs or ordinary people who are making a difference in the world are also good subjects. Center your interview questions around areas the magazine's target audience would find most fascinating.

Biographies. Many magazines need short biographies of adults whose lives are connected to themes for upcoming issues. When writing a magazine biography, focus on a small aspect of the person's life, such as a pivotal childhood experience that inspired him to take a certain path in adulthood, or the one or two accomplishments for which that person is best known. Or, for famous subjects, highlight some obscure achievements. Many magazines love to receive biographies of unknown people who had an impact on a big moment in history. .

Feature articles. If you enjoy research and are passionate about a topic, wait until you uncover some new, interesting, or tantalizing facts that would fascinate kids. Then study several recent issues of magazines for different age groups to determine which publications might be interested in a feature article on your subject. Many nonfiction editors prefer to see a query letter describing the article, the age group, and the slant you're planning to take on the topic before you write the entire piece. Note the format of each publication you're querying so you can mention any necessary sidebars, graphs, timelines or photos you'd need to provide.

Reviews. Some magazines have regular departments that take freelance reviews of children's software, video games, books, or other products. Check the magazine's guidelines before submitting any reviews, as sometimes they're staff-written or written by kids. Also note if the reviews are targeted to the children reading the magazine, or to their parents.

Regardless of the type of magazine nonfiction you write, your best chance for publication is if you custom-fit each submission. Study each magazine's style, note if the articles tend to be light and humorous or have a more scholarly tone. Design your submission to look as if it belongs in the magazine by including sidebar material or photographs, if needed. Give the editor something she can use, but written in a way she's never seen before.
_______________________________________________________________About the Author: Laura Backes is the publisher of Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers. For more information about writing children's books, including free articles, market tips, insider secrets and much more, visit Children's Book Insider's home on the web at http://write4kids.com

An Idea Factory Packed with Inspiration

By W. Terry Whalin

Almost daily I meet people who are stuck. They've created a product or book or service and need more people to know about it. Yet they have no idea how to take action and get publicity or increase their exposure (and ultimately sales).

The entries into eight parts: Why Pursue Publicity?, Your Attitude Counts, Stellar Publicity Successes, Understand Publicity Timing, Ways to Become Newsworthy, Frequently Overlooked Publicity Tools, and Dealing With Reporters. Each chapter is two pages long. It's the perfect book to pick up, read several of them--then take action on the ideas and improve your visibility in the marketplace. Most of the ideas are free or call for small investment of money but can reap large dividends in publicity and sales. As Yudkin explains in the introduction, "My tips apply whether you're promoting a major product launch, your long-established professional firm, a save-the-redwoods campaign, a church fundraiser or yourself as an authority."

Many chapters include a short quote as Food for Thought such as this one from John D. Rockefeller, "Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing." (page 74)

Whether you need a jolt of creativity to your marketing or a fresh idea, reach for this title and keep it handy to refer to it again and again. I highly recommend this power-packed book.

Get My Step-by-Step Proposal Help

By W. Terry Whalin

During the last seven years, I have a stream of
writers who have contacted me in person or on
email. They tell me about the life-changing results from Book Proposals That Sell.
They studied the book, used it to write and shape their
book proposal and pitch to an agent or editor--and
snagged a literary agent or a book contract--when
before they had been getting rejected.

I wrote this book as a frustrated acquisitions
editor. Each day I searched through the
submissions from authors and received incomplete,
inadequate and at times strange pitches for book ideas.
These authors were not giving me what I needed to
champion their projects within the publishing house. I
wrote the book to be an agent of change and help
writers succeed with their dreams.

While the reactions to this bestselling book have
been gratifying., to be honest, the book is not
without it's critics. On a regular basis, I hear about
the perspective of Book Proposals That
Sell--that it is geared toward nonfiction
writers. Sometimes novelists will return the book
or ask for a refund if they have purchased it online.
Early on in this book, I mentioned that it is geared
toward nonfiction writers.

Many novelists have gotten a lot of great
insight and information from the book--at the time
of the writing (key), I was immersed in nonfiction
as an author--and as an acquisitions editor. I had
spent a fair amount of time in fiction but I
didn't work that information into this book. The
critics continue as people purchase the book and
study it. Nothing has been changed in that book
for years.

However as an author and communicator, I have
changed and grown and improved. For example, for
three years I acquired fiction for Howard Books (a part
of Simon and Schuster). I read thousands of submissions
and championed novels for the publisher. Also I spent
several years as a literary agent--again selling
fiction and nonfiction to publishers during this
period of my career--and learning a lot of
information not built into Book Proposals That Sell.

I've decided to take action on these elements and
have developed a new teaching strategy for book
proposal creation. I've not seen anything like it
in the book publishing marketplace. You can learn
about it at: www.writeabookproposal.com. It
is a 12-week program to teach you step-by-step how
to create an excellent book proposal and sample
chapter. Each week during the program, the
participants receive a lesson on part of the book
proposal creation process along with a specific
assignment. The course builds the proposal and
sample and at the end of the program (provided you
follow the instruction), you will have a solid
pitch for your book idea--whether fiction or
nonfiction.

To launch this product, I'm holding a free February 22nd teleseminar
on proposal creation and marketing. Feel free to
ask any question about proposal creation and
marketing. I will answer them live during the
event. If you can't make the event, don't be
concerned because it will be recorded. Anyone who
registers for the event, will receive the link
with the recording.
In addition, I've created a new Ebook that you can
get free just signing up and asking a question.
The ebook is called Acceptance or Rejection? 5
Strategies That Make a Difference. When you
reach the confirmation page, you can immediately
download this free Ebook.

After the event, I will change the teleseminar
into an evergreen mode so it will continue to
serve you for the days ahead. I look forward to
helping you step-by-step to create excellent book
proposals.